The Juice Box dining location at the Kline Center has been closed, replaced with the Sideline Sports Stop, a new snack and sports apparel retail venue.

On July 1, a Dickinson College Newsletter was sent to members of the Dickinson community concerning the repurposing of the Juice Box located in the Kline Center.

The newsletter noted that, “while the Juice Box is a favorite spot for many on campus, it has been underutilized.” Director of Dining Services Errol Huffman explained that “the operation attracted fewer than 100 customers each day. While those who used the location were happy with the fresh juices and smoothies, too few patronized the operation to cover the expenses beyond the juice ingredients and some of the labor expenses.”

The newsletter continued that “a planning committee comprising representatives from admissions, athletics, marketing & communications, student life and finance & administration was formed and has worked diligently to determine the next steps.” Ultimately, the new satellite retail location was meant to promote school spirit and support student-athletes.

Along with stating the various reasons behind this decision, the email included a survey in which recipients could vote on a new name for the location: The Locker, The Devil’s Locker or Sideline Sports Stop. Ultimately, Sideline was the winner, but some students feel the change is unnecessary.

Alice Reichfeld ’21 felt that the Juice Box location was ideal for both people that consistently work out at the Kline and for those that live on that end of the campus. Erika Faulkner ’20 thought it frustrating that, with the closing of the Juice Box, a dining location would also be lost, “since we are required to have a meal plan.”

According to Huffman, the underutilization of the Juice Box demonstrates “that the campus was at the saturation point for additional dining facilities on campus.” Rather than create another dining facility to replace the Juice Box, he mentioned that “future dining facility enhancements will be focused on a renovation of the HUB facilities and expansion of the capacity in that location.”

Also, Huffman believes that the already-popular juice bar located in the Underground seems to sufficiently fulfill the needs of the community. It is able to offer the same services of the Juice Box in a central location, with the added capacity of the HUB, and Huffman thinks that the “additions of ice and frozen smoothies to the options seem to be very well-received.” He anticipates business will increase, but that it is too early in the semester to determine what the trends are yet.

As someone who has worked at both the Juice Box and the Underground, but now exclusively at the Underground, Reichfeld ’21 saw the effects of the changes. She noticed that “the Underground became a lot busier once the Juice Box closed, and it’s a small space to work in, so it gets even more stressful during lunch rushes.”

The grand opening of the Sideline was on Sept. 6 in the lobby of the Kline Center.